LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Booked Solid |
Review by Rebecca James |
Loose Lips, by Rita Mae Brown July 1999, 374 pages. The first time I heard of Rubyfruit Jungle, I was 19 and helping Salisbury State Univer-sitys student Gay and Lesbian Alliance reorganize. We put together a resource meeting to allow students access to gay and lesbian newspapers, magazines and books, both fiction and non-fiction. Polly Stewart was our faculty advisor, and was remarkably tolerant of (if not amused by) our shiny new exposure to the world of gay and lesbian writing. We sprawled over the industrial carpeting of the college Philosophy House, draped across each other on the couch and chairs, engrossed in our newly-acquired copies of The Blade, The Advocate and Annie on My Mind (thank you Lambda Rising). "Here," said Polly as she tossed her battered copy of Rubyfruit my way, "Youre not really a lesbian until youve read this." I finished it in a matter of hours and spent the next few weeks devouring everything by Rita Mae Brown that I could find. Bingo, Six of One, Venus Envy, In Her Day and then...nothing. Brown had begun her Sneaky Pie Mystery series which, along with Dolley and her other novels, could not hold my interest. Brown seemed to be getting more and more conservative, even lazy, with her writing. Slowly, I learned about other contemporary and classic lesbian writers and Rubyfruit Jungle faded into a fond coming-out and growing-up memory. I picked up her new biography this past winter and was pleased to learn about the close connection between Browns real life and the characters in her first few novels. This explained the fire behind the writing in these first few pieces; perhaps Brown simply writes better when speaking from experience. I faced her newest hardbacks (the mysteries) spine out on the shelves of the bookstore, leaving room for more exciting releases. So, when I walked through the door of Browseabout last week, ready for another ten-hour shift of romance readers and sandy returns, I was surprised to find a stack of very un-Sneaky Pie Rita Mae Brown hardbacks awaiting my 25% off stickers. I hadnt caught any advance publicity, and since I dont do the ordering for the store, the stacks of book catalogues I try to page through once and awhile have been woefully neglected in the heat of the tourist season. I scanned the dust jacket and practically cheeredJuts and Wheezie of Runnymede, the hysterical sisters of Bingo and Six of One, were back without a mystery in sight. I happily abandoned the set of short stories I was struggling to get through for the next review and lifted the top copy of Loose Lips from the store. For the next few days, I dodged traffic and screaming children on Rehoboth Avenue (I frequently read as I walk, which distresses most drivers...hey, at least I dont read while I drive) armed with the third installment of small-town politics (read:gossip) straddling the Mason-Dixon line. Surprisingly enough, instead of simply enjoying the novel, I became distracted by comparing Loose Lips with its predecessors. I think I really am quite unforgiving of authors that have somehow disappointed me. I take their failures as a personal affront and re-enter the worlds they create cautiously. Realizing this, I paged through the first two books before making my final decision. What I discovered was that my taste in books has definitely changed over the past few years. Browns earliest novels will forever hold a romanticized place in my heart, but I now recognize that they are, in fact, light reading and not the powerful works of literature I once made them out to be. This settled, I can now say that I enjoyed the novel. It makes a great beach-read. For those of you not familiar with Bingo and Six of One, I dont think it is at all necessary to read them first. All three novels are realistic; their humor comes from the authors ability to poke fun at small-town gossip and the egocentric, but endearing characters peculiarities. For the past two decades, people have grown to love the rambunctious Hunsenmeir sisters and their eclectic circle of friends. Loose Lips should not disappoint any fan that never wanted the first two novels to end, and it would welcome a new reader to the older work of Rita Mae Brown. Throughout the books, we met Julia Ellen "Juts" Hunsenmeir, an unapologetic fireball who swears like a sailor through the Chesterfield cigarette permanently grafted to her lips. Louise "Wheezer" Hunsenmeir, Juts holier-than-thou sister, tries continuously and unsuccessfully to maintain her pious composure even after demolishing the local diner during a particularly tumultuous disagreement with her sister. With their friends (and enemies) the two sisters take on everything from premarital sex to entrepreneurship to a flock of Hitlers geese during Browns visit to Runnymede during World War II. Take Loose Lips to the beach, relax in the sun, and allow yourself to be taken back to the days of unspoken Southern morals and laugh as it becomes immediately clear that they are oh-so-much fun to push to the absolute limits. Rebecca James is an assistant manager at Browseabout Books on Rehoboth Avenue. She enjoys reading, writing and spending absurd amounts of money on books. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 9, No. 9, July 16, 1999 |